Draft attachment for vehicles



.(ModL) D. D. DECKER.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES. No. 257,296. Patented May 2,1882.

W zfimiizi. v Jwzzzzirr UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL D. DECKER, OF ST. GATHARINE, MISSOURI.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,296, dated May 2, 1882.

Application filed January 20, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL D. DEcKER, of St. Catharine, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Attachments; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in draft attachments for vehicles; and it consists in a suitable rod or attachment which is forked or pronged at its rear end, so as to be pivoted directly to the axle, and which has its front end attached to the tongue by means of a loose coupling-link, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide a draft rod or attachment to which the doubletree is secured about on a level with the axle, so that the draft of the team will be applied as nearly as possible on a direct line with the axle, and thus remove all strain from the springs and upper portion of the running-gear, to which the tongue is fastened.

Figurel is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted view of the same.

A represents the axle, and B the springs, to which the rear end of the pole-tongue (l is fastened by means of the links I).

Secured to the axle, near each one of the springs, is a suitable clip, E, which has a suitable ear or projection, Gr, formed on its front side, and to these two projections is pivoted the draft-rod H, which hasits rear end pron ged, as shown. This draft-rod extends forward end fastened to the tongue by means of the (ModeL) loose link I and the holding deviceJ, or by an eyebolt or slide. Upon the top of this draftrod, just at the rear of the point where it curves upward, is the double-tree.

When the draft is applied to the vehicle it is applied in, or almostin, a directline with the axle, and thus all strain is removed from the springs or upper portion of the running-gear, and the draft is lessened by fully one-third. When an upward pull is exerted upon the draft-rod, it being pivoted to the axle, and being connected to the tongue by means of the link, causes the front end of the tongue to be raised correspondingly upward, so as to relieve the necks of the horses from the downward pull which is exerted upon them.

I am aware that the tongue has been secured directly to the springs, and this I disclaim. Never, however, has the tongue been connected to the springs and used in connection with a draft-bar that is fastened at one end to the axle and at the other to thetongue.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- The combination, in a platform-wagon, of 6 

